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Old gas stations

2jakes

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,680
Location
Alamo Heights ☀️ Texas
93c54df7d7866a0b471a64c8274bd330.jpg
 

2jakes

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,680
Location
Alamo Heights ☀️ Texas
"Terrible Terry" Carpenter's gas station.

terrible terry's .jpg

Senator from Nebraska:
"He first moved to Nebraska in 1916 and took over a gas station in Scottsbluff, where, in the middle of the Depression, he started gas price wars with major oil companies that had stations in the area. Eventually, the major companies bought the land beneath Carpenter’s gas station and evicted him.
The town rallied around Carpenter and raised enough money so that he was able to open another gas station. When the major companies again attempted to put him out of business by cutting off his suppliers, Carpenter built a railroad spur to his station, constructed a refinery, and made his own gasoline. His gas sold for 5 cents a gallon in some areas where the competition sold it for 20 cents a gallon.

An Omaha World-Herald newspaper editorial first coined him the name "Terrible Terry" during Carpenter’s gas wars in western Nebraska.
 
Last edited:

2jakes

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,680
Location
Alamo Heights ☀️ Texas
This diminutive Pure Oil gas station was located at the corner of Hudson and Indianola. It had an outdoor lift instead of service bays. The pump globes say Purol and Detonox, indicating the photograph is from the 1920s. Service bays were added to the station later in the decade. Union 76 purchased Pure Oil in 1965, and completely refashioned the station
2ac5d0316a959c985c4f7f802b90326e.jpg
 

Ghostsoldier

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,408
Location
Starke, Florida, USA
Cities Service got a lot of mileage out of that delta-in-a-trefoil logo before they changed to Citgo. If you ever visit the old Cities Service Building in Manhattan, one of the most art-deco skyscrapers ever built, you'll see it embedded everywhere in the decor --note the floor indicator light above this lobby elevator:

Detail-of-AIG-Lobby--elevator.jpg


7271692_the-most-gorgeous-lobby-in-nyc-is-open-again_te980c903.jpg
The Original "Hidden Mickeys", lol.

Rob
 

Ghostsoldier

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,408
Location
Starke, Florida, USA
This diminutive Pure Oil gas station was located at the corner of Hudson and Indianola. It had an outdoor lift instead of service bays. The pump globes say Purol and Detonox, indicating the photograph is from the 1920s. Service bays were added to the station later in the decade. Union 76 purchased Pure Oil in 1965, and completely refashioned the station
View attachment 106434
I always thought it was a cute little station.

Rob
 
Messages
16,817
Location
New York City
Another view of Terrible Terry's, and a few other station photos.

2b93538fc00a74bb30d0574b4054b01e.jpg

What a perfectly iconic Gulf station.

Cities Service got a lot of mileage out of that delta-in-a-trefoil logo before they changed to Citgo. If you ever visit the old Cities Service Building in Manhattan, one of the most art-deco skyscrapers ever built, you'll see it embedded everywhere in the decor --note the floor indicator light above this lobby elevator:

Detail-of-AIG-Lobby--elevator.jpg


7271692_the-most-gorgeous-lobby-in-nyc-is-open-again_te980c903.jpg

I worked around the corner from - and went to many meetings in - this, as you note, insanely and wonderfully over-the-top Art Deco gem. I was a young kid on Wall Street when I first saw it and couldn't believe there was ever a time that something so awesome could have been built.

The crazy thing is that there are a lot of (on a somewhat smaller scale) insanely gorgeous Art Deco buildings all clustered in that pretty small area known as "Wall Street." Any one of those building would be a star on its own, but they almost get "lost" amongst the plethora.

All that said, I don't specifically remember the Citi logo, but next time I'm in the building, I'll be hunting out as many of them as I can.
 

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